The Times of India               17.09.2013

Four steps to ease chaotic cross roads

MANGALORE: It's supposed to be a literate district. But this "literacy" does not seem to translate to civic sense. Take the case of traffic problems at crossings, neither pedestrians care for rules nor do motorists.

While the state capital Bangalore and cultural city Mysore have underground and overhead passes at strategic locations, the city has none. The problem on having an underground or overhead pass is the paucity of space at locations where peak hour traffic is heavy.

So where lays the problem and what are the solutions? City Corporation superintending engineer B S Balakrishna proposes a four-pronged approach. But this needs coordination with multiple agencies which is hard to come by.

He says first of all educating pedestrians is a difficult task and it should be done by the Regional Transport Office and the traffic police. In the absence of this, Balakrishna suggests that where four-lane roads exist with median, it should be barricaded all along and pedestrians should be allowed to cross only near zebra crossings.

He also notes that in many of the places zebra crossings are hardly visible. "We should ensure that zebra crossings are clear and visible so that pedestrians and motorists know that they exist," he says, but rues that though corporation pays Rs 800 per sq ft rate for thermoplastic paint, contractors short change them with cheap paint - which does not last even two months.

Regarding overhead and underpass, the official observes that there is absolutely no space for that in the city. "However we are contemplating to have an underpass near Town Hall as there is heavy pedestrian crossing near that area as its is close to the railway station. There is enough space available on zilla panchayat and Town Hall side," he adds.

The most important aspect, he stresses, is enforcement. "Motorists have scant respect for traffic rules and in this regard traffic police have to be strict. Unless there is fear of the law, there will be no compliance," he asserts.

Another point Balakrishna makes is that most of the zebra crossings are near the circle. This should be avoided and a signboard indicating that zebra crossing is ahead should be put 50 mts before the crossing. "Also, the stop line for motorists should be five mts before the Zebra crossings. In the absence of which motorists stop on or after the zebra crossing making it difficult for pedestrians," he adds.